Hamer Sunburst Guitar

What does a vintage Les Paul Standard go for these days?
Don't even think about it: a beater can set you back five
figures. Even Specials and juniors from the '50s cost thousands
of dollars. So do new Les Pauls with nice tops.
Here's a fantastic alternative: a late-'70s/early-'80s Hamer Sunburst.

Inspired by the classic cherry sunburst 1958-1960 Gibson Les
Paul Standard (thus the name), the Sunburst combined the best
features of some proven ideas, improved on others, was virtually
handmade in America, and was an unbelievable value for its
price. It still is today. One of the earliest offerings of a
company now entering its third decade, the Hamer Sunburst is
destined to be a classic in the 2lst-century vintage market.
Right now they're well under a grand.

In the last article we looked at Hamer Guitars' early history
and their first, extremely limited-production, Explorer-shaped
"Standard" model guitar. Starting with some big players (Bad
Company, Jethro Tull, Wishbone Ash) and only four authorized
dealerships in 1975, Hamer soon had a reputation for quality and
value, and twice as many dealers, all clamoring for a less
expensive model. Conceived as a workingman's guitar, with
affordability the key word, Hamer cut no corners and packed an
incredible amount of deluxe features into a mid-priced
instrument. Four prototype Sunbursts were displayed at the '77
Summer NAMM convention in Chicago. (These guitars have no serial
numbers, are a bit thinner than production models, and have
bakelite/phenolic backplates instead of the later stamped
aluminum. Keep your eyes open for 'em.) Once again, Hamer used a
Gibson design from the late '50s in this case the1959-60
slab-bodied, double-cutaway Les Paul juniors and Specials as a
starting point for basic shape, materials, and construction, but
added deluxe features and electronics (flamed-maple top with
binding, humbucking pickups, and other details normally found on
a Les Paul Standard) to create a hybrid that improved upon its
inspirations in almost every way. Jol Dantzig, Hamer co-founder
and Director of Design, says that it was "priced as a loss
leader. We figured we would make one or two a week, but we did
15 a week right from the start."

Notice The Bridge On
These 2 Early Sunburst Hamer Guitars. It Is Not A
Tune a Matic. There Is Nothing Wrong With A
Tune A Matic Bridge. However You Will Love The
Hamer Sustainer Bridge That Is On The Original
Models Only. (Important) Hamer Does Not Make
The Original Sustainer Bridge Anymore.
Ed Roman Bought The Last Ones When Hamer Stopped
Using Them & There Are Scant Few Left.

Original
suggested retail price on June 1, 1978 was $699.95 for the Hamer
Sunburst with dot inlays, plus $99.95 for a hardshell case. The
body is made from "one piece of select British Honduras mahogany
accented by a one-piece curly maple overlay trimmed with cream
binding." Jol Dantzig says, "We went with the Model T theory:
Any color you want, as long as it's sunburst." The gorgeous
cherry sunburst finish is hand-finished in lacquer, lightening
from dark red at the edges to a glowing, golden egg shape at the
center. Back, sides, and neck are cherry red. The one-piece neck
is set and glued to the body at the 21st fret, and has 22 jumbo
frets on a rosewood fingerboard with pearl dot inlays. Les Paul
Standard-style "Crown" inlays cost an additional 80, which
included fingerboard binding, as well. The Sunburst marks the
first appearance of Hamer's trademark, three-on-a-side,
"snakehead"-shaped headstock, with its "open book" indentation
at the top that harken back once again to Gibson, as does the
bell-shaped, laminated truss-rod cover. Tuning machines are
enclosed, chrome-plated Grover Deluxe models, and the bone nut
was cut on the guitar after installation to ensure correct
string spacing and distance from the fingerboard edge, instead
of using pre-cut blanks. At the other end of the 24 3/4" scale
length is a chrome-plated, fully adjustable, deluxe Strat-type
bridge of solid, milled brass. Very early models have stamped,
not milled, base plates. The bridge is mounted on an ebony
"sustain block" that is sunk into the body, and the strings pass
all the way through the body, Tele-style, from inset ferrules in
the back. The sustain block also serves to heighten the
low-profile bridge to match the neck angle.

The Hamer Sunburst was one of the first
production guitars to use two different humbucking pickups for
neck and bridge positions, each designed for a specific
tone. Made to Hamer's specs by DiMarzio, the zebra-stripe (one
cream coil and one black coil) rhythm pickup is like a hot PAF,
and the double-cream lead pickup is similar to DiMarzio's Super
Distortion model. The pickups are mounted in cream surrounds
without covers. Controls are straight forward: a 3 position
toggle switch, two volume controls and one master tone, with
black barrel, or "speed," knobs. The tone control is a tapered
contour that offers clear, usable sounds throughout its range,
without mud or loss of presence. A Hamer hang tag from the late
70s gives half a dozen sample settings for various
tones--including "Brilliant," "Funky," and "Hollowlead"--"some
of which are not found on any other electric guitar," as the tag
reads. The wiring is contained in a shielded cavity, accessed
through a stamped aluminum cover plate (very early examples have
bakelite backplates), and the jack is on the side of the body.
Early Sunburst users include Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), Andy
Summers (The Police), Elliot Easton (The Cars), Dave Edmunds and
Billy Bremner (Rockpile), and Joe Walsh. With a Les Paul look,
sound, and feel, but lighter and with a wider range of sounds,
the Sunburst was such a success that Hamer was able to expand
considerably, and in 1980 they moved from Palatine, Illinois, to
a larger, 12,500 square-foot factory in Arlington Heights, also
near Chicago. The Sunburst became the basis for many subsequent
models and variations, including the semi-hollow, acoustic
electric DuoTone. Historically significant in Hamer's early
develop-ment, Sunbursts are easy to date, as they have
sequential serial numbers: #9-015, for instance, would be the
fifteenth one made in1979. The bottom line is value.

Thanks again to Jol Dantzig and Jim Allen of Hamer,
especially for all the early catalogs. You don't want 'em back,
right? -